A HIKER has shared graphic photos of injuries he sustained after the mountain trail he was walking fell out from underneath him.
Andrew McGlashan needed surgery after falling more than 12ft off Great End in the Lake District, after loose boulders came away from under his feet and plunged him down the hillside.
The 42-year-old hiker was left with horrendous lacerations to his calf and had to be carried off the mountain side in a six hour rescue operation on 9 August.
Photos show Andrew’s mangled leg which was so large it required a skin graft to fix.
The image shows his lacerated calf, with a six inch long bloodied cut that exposes inside the leg.
Other pictures show the 22 person mission from Keswick and Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Teams (MRTs) who collaborated on the operation.
CAD draughtsman Andrew took to social media to praise the efforts of the MRTs.
He wrote the day after the incident: “Sending out a massive thanks to the joint efforts of Keswick and Cockermouth mountain rescue teams who had to stretcher me off Great End yesterday after a loose boulder through 12ft to the ground severely lacerating my left calf.
“21 years of walking, always taking care not to walk beyond my limits, I just got unlucky yesterday.
“I’ll see you again Great End to complete you another day.”
Keswick MRT also reported on the incident, saying: “Two men were descending below The Band on Great End, above Sprinkling Tarn, when one of them had a nasty tumble amongst the sharp and loose boulders resulting in a deep laceration to his calf.
“When enough team members were present the man was loaded onto a stretcher and carried down the scree slope.
“It was then a case of doing shifts on the stretcher for the long carry back to Seathwaite via Sty Head.
“The Keswick Landrover was able to transport the casualty part way back along the valley bottom track to their car from where they made their own way to hospital.”
Speaking today, Andrew said: “The first reaction is don’t hit your head.
“Everything else is just about accepting that it’s probably going to hurt and manage that the best you can, all of this goes through your head in a split second.
“My right foot was taken away from me by a loose rock I had stepped onto slid away.
“I instinctively reached out with my left hand to grab a rock in the hill side, unfortunately the rock pulled away from its position and the weight of it threw me off balance.
“My rucksack weighed approximately 25kg, so this also contributed.
“There was one large boulder I couldn’t avoid and this was the one which unfortunately tore the left calf open.
“The right shin sustained cuts and grazes along with rock rash to my right arm.
“I’m all good now, I’m in a small amount of discomfort, but I have good use of the leg, just a long period of rest and recuperation for now.
“None of which wouldn’t have been capable without the excellent work of the MRT volunteers and the staff at the RVI Newcastle.”
